Toyota Recalls 8,521 C-HR EVs Over Power Loss — SkimNews
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- Toyota is recalling 8,521 model-year 2026 electric C-HR vehicles in North America after reporting to NHTSA on Wednesday, down from the roughly 10,000 figure the company cited when it announced the action on September 2.
- The defect stems from incorrect software in the electric vehicle's battery ECU that disrupts the charging limitation function, allowing the battery to overcharge under conditions such as continued regenerative braking on a full or near-full battery.
- When the overcharge occurs, warning lights and a buzzer activate and the electric drive system can shut down, causing the vehicle to lose propulsion while driving.
- The affected C-HR vehicles were produced between February 6, 2026, and July 10, 2026, and Toyota noted in its NHTSA filing that not all vehicles in that production window were sold in the US.
- Reports suggest the recall could extend overseas because the European/UK-market Toyota C-HR+ is essentially the same vehicle as the North American C-HR EV.
- Toyota dealerships will update the battery ECU software free of charge; owner notification letters are scheduled to go out October 18, 2026, and the recall is designated 26TA17.
Why it matters: A power-loss-while-driving defect in a brand-new EV is exactly the kind of failure mode that can crater consumer trust in an early product, and the C-HR only went on sale earlier this year starting around $37,000. Toyota's free software patch and October 18 owner notifications show the fix is straightforward, but the overlap with European C-HR+ models raises the stakes of the investigation expanding across markets.
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